Curled yarns, curled yarn fabrics and method for making same



Oct. 28, 1958 w. R. KEEN 2,857,651

d CURLED YARNS, CURLED YARN FABRICS AND METHOD FOR MAKING SAME FiledApril 3, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet l A TTORNE YS.

Oct. 28,1958 W R, KEEN 2,857,651 CURLED YARNS, CURLEDv YARN FABRICS ANDMETHOD FOR MAKING SAME Filed April s, 195e 2 sheets-sheer. 2

Turf/NG @I ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent O CURLED YARNS, CURLnn YARN FABRICS AND MErHoD FoRMAKING SAME William Rollin Keen, Media, Pa., assignor to Collins &Aikman Corporation, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of DelawareApplication April 3, 1956, Serial No. 575,754 17 Claims. (Cl. v28-72)This invention relates to a method of manufacturing curled or crimpedtextile yarns, curled yarn fabrics, to the apparatus for 'making them,and to the curled yarns produced thereby. The curled yarns of thepresent invention may be made from fibers or laments of materials whichwill take a substantially permanent set such as mohair, wool, nylon,dacron and the like or mixtures thereof with viscose or lthe like.

It has been known to produce curled or crimped yarns for use in textilematerials. However, the known methods are both tedious and costly and'often produce serious deterioration in the strength and elasticity ofthe yarns produced so that they are diliicult and costly to use inweaving or Vother fabric forming processes.

It is -an object of this invention to provide a method of crimping orcurling textile yarns without injuring the yarn material.

Itis also an object of this invention to provide a rapid and inexpensivemethod for continuously producing curled textile yarns.

It ,is Va further object of the present invention to provide acontinuous process for crimping `or curling yarns without exert-'ingundue strain on the yarn material.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a process andapparatus for producing fabrics having curled or crimped yarns.

`It is a further object fof .the present invention tor provide a processand apparatus for continuously producing a number of curled yarn endsand simultaneously Weaving or tufting a fabric using said ends.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a novelcrimped or curled textile yarn.

One embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the attached drawingsof which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a backing material tufted with a yarnwhich it is desired to curl or crimp in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the tufted yarn of Fig. 1 removed fromthe backing material;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the crimped yarn of Fig. 2 employed as apile yarn in a woven cut pile fabric; and

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic drawing showing another embodiment of theinvention wherein a pile yarn is tufted in a backing material, `set inthe backing, removed and then retufted in the backing material andshowing the apparatus employed;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic drawing showing another embodiment of theinvention wherein an endless loop of backing material is continuouslytufted and the tufted yarn is set and spooled; and

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic perspective view showing another embodiment ofthe invention wherein an endless loop =of backing material iscontinuously tufted, and the tufted yarn is set and beamed to a loom.

The yarn 10 which it is desired to curl or crimp is tufted in the usualmanner in a backing material 11 as 2,857,651 Patented Oct. 28, 1958shown in Fig. l. The backing material may be of any of the usual openweave materials such as burlap. The yarns itl may be of any normalconstruction as to count or twist in the single or ply and may be spunentirely of wool, mohair, nylon, dacron or any settable fiber orlilaments of nylon or any settable filament or combinations thereof. Theyarn '10 is tufted in the backing 11 and, as thus deformed, is subjectedto the treatment necessary to provide a set in the yarn 10. The type ofcrimp or curl produced in the yarn may be varied by modifying types ofloops and stretch used during the tufting. The setting is `performed lonthe tufted fabric in accordance with known methods required to produce aset in the yarn material such as by the application of hot water -orsteam. lf preferred, the tufted yarn may be dyed while in this conditionvand thereby obtain `both setting and dyeing at the same time. The yarnV,is then pulled from the backing as may be easily done with a tuftedyarn, and is fully prepared to be used as za pile yarn in a tufted orwoven fabric. A fully crimped -and set -yarn 12 is shown in Fig. 2 andFig. 3 shows the crimped yarn 12 woven as the pile yarn in a pileYfabric 13. As shown in Fig. 3, the pile -is Vcut allowing the yarns 12to twist or -turn in accordance with their set conformations to form adense, tight, `pile surface.

A continuous process for making crimped yal-nis shown in Fig. 5. Backingmaterial 30, which lmay `be in the form .of a continuous loop, iscontinuously fed into a tuftingmachine 31 where itis tufted With yarn32.

The tufted backing material 30 .is then lcontinuously fed' into asetting chamber 33 Where Ythe Itufted yarn 32 isv set inthe looped orcrimped condition. As `the backing material 30 leaves the settingchamber 33, the crimpedy yarn 32 is continuously raveled from the`back-ing and is wound about the .cone 34. f

'Where the yarn is to be used to produce a tufted fabric, the Yyarn maybe tufted back into :the very backing material in which it was set asillustrated in Fig. 4..

tufted configurations in the tufted fabric 20 are set by any usualtreatment. The pile yarn 23 is then pulled from the fabric 20 and fed tothe needles of tufting machine 24, while at the same time the backingmaterial 4of the fabric 2@ is fed beneath the tufting machine 24, sothat the crimped yarn 23 is tufted back into the fabric 20. The retuftedfabric 25 is then taken up on roll 26.

The present invention also includes the process shown in Fig. 6 in whicha woven fabric is continuously produced from crimped yarn, A continuousloop of backing material 4.9 is fed to tufting machine 41 and settingchamber 42. The yarn 43 is tufted into the .backing material 40 and thenset in the tufted condition in setting chamber 42 and is unraveled andbeamed directly to the loom 44 where it becomes the warp yarns in thewoven fabric 45.

An important advantage of the invention is that it accomplishes thecrimping and curling of yarns in a form where they can be set or dyedand set evenly on conventional dyeing equipment and in a minimum time.Thus, as shown in Fig. 4, all of the equipment is that normally used inhandling and producing piece goods. The handling of individual yarns islimited to the tufting machine which is, of course, a standard goodsmaking machine.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

l. A method of producing crimped yarns comprising the steps ofneedle-tufting textile yarns in a backing material to form a tufted pilefabric, subjecting the resulting pile fabric to setting treatment to setthe loops in the tufted yarns and removing the set yarns from thebacking material.

2. The textile yarn made according to the process of claim 1.

3. A method of producing crimped yarns comprising the steps ofneedle-tufting textile yarns of a settable material in a woven backingmaterial, continuously subjecting the tufted pile fabric so formed toheat treatment to set the loops in the pile yarns and then pulling outthe tufted yarns as permanently crimped individual yarns.

4. The textile yarn made according to the process of claim 3.

5. A method of forming crimped yarns comprising the steps of tuftngtextile yarns in a woven backing material to form a tufted pile fabric,subjecting said tufted pile fabric to moist heat treatment, drying thefabric and then raveling the pile yarns and collecting them asindividually crimped yarns.

6. The textile yarn made according to the process of claim 5.

7. A method of producing a tufted pile fabric comprising the steps oftufting pile yarns in a backing material, setting the pile yarns in situin said backing material, removing the set pile yarns and retufting theminto the backing material.

8. The fabric made according to the process of claim 7.

9. A method of making a tufted pile fabric comprising the steps ofneedle-tufting a textile yarn warp-wise in a woven backing material,continuously subjecting the tufted pile fabric so formed to a pile yarnsetting treatment in a warp-wise direction, removing the set pile yarnsfrom the backing material and continuously needletufting said yarns intoa backing material.

10. The fabric made according to the process of claim 9.

11. A method of continuously producing crimped yarns from a closed loopof backing material comprising continuously needle tufting a textileyarn in the backing material and then continuously setting the tuftedback- 4 ing material to form a permanent crimp in the tufted yarn andthen raveling the set crimped yarns and collecting them by winding abouta cone.

l2. A method of continuously making a fabric with crimped yarnscomprising continuously tufting pile yarns in a backing material,setting the yarns so tufted in the backing material and thencontinuously delivering the tufted and set yarns to a loom as warpyarns.

13. The fabric made according to the process of claim 12.

i4. A method of forming a tufted pile fabric comprising tuftingpile-forming yarns in a backing material, setting the tufted yarns,removing the tufted and set yarns from the backing material and tuftingsaid pile forming yarns in a backing material.

l5. The fabric made in accordance with the method of claim 14.

16. A method of making pile fabrics comprising tufting pile-formingyarns in a backing material, setting the tufted yarns, removing thetufted and set yarns from the backing material and weaving said yarns asthe pile yarns in a woven pile fabric.

17. The fabric made in accordance with the method of claim 16.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,051,588 Wilson Aug. 18, 1936 2,394,165 Getaz Feb. 5, 1946 2,430,425Jackson Nov. 4, 1947 2,509,349 Jackson May 30, 1950 2,509,351 Reinhardtet al May 30, 1950 2,523,690 Finkelsteinas Sept. 26, 1950 2,557,452Miller June 19, 1951 2,575,008 Dorgin Nov. 13, 1951 2,601,451 Page June24, 1952 2,620,545 Hathaway et al Dec. 9, 1952 2,662,560 Jackson Dec.15, 1953 2,796,654 Ashcroft June 25, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 396,219 GreatBritain Aug. 3, 1933 kan.

